Systems, devices and methods to facilitate wireless interaction between an implantable therapy delivery device and an external transmitter device are provided. In an example, the systems, devices, and methods discussed herein include or use a garment for receiving and positioning an external transmitter device proximal to an implanted device, and the external transmitter device includes a midfield device configured to provide one or more signals to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate a propagating and focused field in the tissue. In an example, the garment includes a receptacle configured to receive and retain the external transmitter device near a tissue interface, and the garment further includes a dielectric portion provided between the receptacle and the tissue interface. In an example, the dielectric portion has a relative permittivity that is approximately the same as the relative permittivity of air.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A garment for receiving and positioning an external transmitter device proximal to an implanted device that is configured to provide a stimulation therapy at or near a neural target in a pelvic region of a patient, wherein the external transmitter device includes source structures that are configured to be excitable to generate a propagating and focused field in body tissue to communicate power or data to the implanted device, the garment comprising: a garment body comprising a flexible material configured to be worn by a user; a first receptacle comprising a portion of the garment body and configured to receive and position the external transmitter device near a tissue interface when the garment is worn by the user; and a dielectric member provided between the first receptacle and the tissue interface and configured to increase efficiency of wireless energy communications from the external transmitter device, through the dielectric member and body tissue, to the implanted device, wherein the dielectric member has a first relative permittivity that is approximately the same as the relative permittivity of air and the first relative permittivity is different from a relative permittivity of the tissue at the tissue interface, and the first relative permittivity is different from a relative permittivity of the garment body.
2. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric member comprises a compressible polychloroprene rubber having a relative permittivity that is approximately the same as the relative permittivity of air when the polychloroprene rubber is compressed and when the polychloroprene rubber is uncompressed.
3. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric member is dimensioned to separate the first receptacle from the tissue interface by at least a specified minimum separation distance, the specified minimum separation distance selected to (1) avoid exceeding a defined maximum loading on a transmission antenna of the external transmitter device and/or to (2) reduce a rate at which electromagnetic energy is absorbed by patient tissue at or near the tissue interface.
4. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric member is configured to inhibit heat transfer from the first receptacle to the tissue interface.
5. The garment of claim 1 , wherein the garment body comprises an elastic waistband coupled to the first receptacle, and the waistband is configured to position the first receptacle at or near an S3 foramen when the garment is worn by the user.
6. A garment for receiving and positioning an external transmitter device proximal to an implanted device that is configured to provide a stimulation therapy at or near a neural target in a pelvic region of the patient, wherein the external transmitter device includes one or more source structures on a source substrate and the source structures are configured to be excitable to generate a propagating field in body tissue and thereby communicate power or data signals to the implanted device, the garment comprising: a garment body comprising a flexible material, wherein the flexible material has a first relative permittivity characteristic; a first receptacle coupled with or comprising a portion of the garment body and configured to receive and position the external transmitter device near a tissue interface when the garment is worn by a user; and a dielectric member provided between the first receptacle and the tissue interface, wherein the dielectric member has a second relative permittivity characteristic that is approximately the same as the relative permittivity of air and is different from the first relative permittivity characteristic of the flexible material, and the second relative permittivity characteristic is different from a permittivity of the source substrate, and wherein the second relative permittivity characteristic is different from a relative permittivity of the tissue at the tissue interface.
7. The garment of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric member comprises a compressible material having a relative permittivity that is approximately the same as the relative permittivity of air when the material is compressed and when the material is uncompressed.
8. The garment of claim 6 , further comprising a second receptacle adjacent to the first receptacle and configured to receive the dielectric member.
9. The garment of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric member is dimensioned to separate the first receptacle from the tissue interface by at least a specified minimum separation distance, the specified minimum separation distance selected to avoid exceeding a defined maximum loading on a transmission antenna of the external transmitter device.
10. The garment of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric member is dimensioned to separate the first receptacle from the tissue interface by at least a specified minimum separation distance, the specified minimum separation distance selected to reduce a rate at which electromagnetic energy is absorbed by patient tissue at or near the tissue interface.
11. The garment of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric member is configured to inhibit heat transfer from the first receptacle to the tissue interface.
12. The garment of claim 6 , wherein the first receptacle includes at least a first wall provided adjacent to the dielectric member, and wherein the first wall and the dielectric member have different relative permittivity characteristics.
13. The garment of claim 6 , wherein the garment body comprises an elastic waistband configured to position the first receptacle at or near an S3 foramen when the garment is worn by the user.
14. The garment of claim 6 , further comprising a verification device, wherein the verification device communicates with the external transmitter device to enable one or more functions of the external transmitter device.
15. A method for controlling delivery of neural stimulation therapy using a system that includes an implanted midfield device and external midfield transmitter device, wherein the external midfield transmitter device includes one or more source structures on a source substrate that are configured to be excitable to manipulate evanescent fields outside of tissue to generate a propagating and focused field in the tissue and thereby communicate power and/or data signals to the implanted midfield device, wherein the implanted midfield device includes one or more electrodes for delivering an electrostimulation therapy to a neural target, the delivered therapy using energy received from the external midfield transmitter device, the method comprising: positioning the external midfield transmitter device at or near a tissue interface and the implanted midfield device using a garment that includes a garment body comprising a flexible material configured to be worn by a user, a receptacle comprising a portion of the garment body and configured to receive and position the external midfield transmitter device near the tissue interface when the garment is worn, and a dielectric member provided between the first receptacle and the tissue interface to electrically decouple contents of the first receptacle from tissue at the tissue interface, wherein the dielectric member has a first relative permittivity that is approximately the same as the relative permittivity of air and is different from a relative permittivity of the tissue at the tissue interface and is different from a relative permittivity of the flexible material and is different from a permittivity of the source substrate of the external midfield transmitter device; using energy received from the external midfield transmitter device, providing a stimulation therapy at or near a neural target in a pelvic region of a patient using the implanted midfield device; determining, using a control circuit, whether a voiding event is, or is likely to be, imminent or occurring for the patient; and enhancing voiding efficiency for the patient, including inhibiting or ceasing the stimulation therapy provided to the neural target when the voiding event is determined to be, or is determined likely to be, imminent or occurring for the patient.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the determining whether the voiding event is, or is likely to be, imminent or occurring for the patient includes using the control circuit to determine a void interval for the patient based on information from one or more sensors configured to determine a fullness characteristic about the patient's bladder.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the determining whether the voiding event is, or is likely to be, imminent or occurring for the patient includes using the control circuit to identify noncommunication between the external midfield transmitter device and the implanted midfield device.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the determining whether the voiding event is, or is likely to be, imminent or occurring for the patient includes using a control circuit provided in one or both of the implanted midfield device and the external midfield transmitter device.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the determining whether the voiding event is, or is likely to be, imminent or occurring for the patient includes using information from a position sensor coupled to the external midfield transmitter device, wherein the position sensor is configured to determine when the external midfield transmitter device moves away from the tissue interface.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the control circuit is provided in the implanted midfield device, and wherein determining whether the voiding event is, or is likely to be, imminent or occurring for the patient includes using information from the implanted midfield device about whether it is receiving a substantially continuous power signal from the external midfield transmitter device.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 6, 2018
October 13, 2020
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